Elements of Grace: Sin

February 18, 2011 in Faith, Grace, OneWord with 6 Comments

Fridays are my worst day to blog.  In other words I rarely have a post on Fridays.  In order to resolve that I’m planning to have a reoccurring topic on Fridays called Elements of Grace.  In this my hope is to post more often on Fridays and focus my heart and mind more on my One Word.

I’ve decided that by deciding to participate in One Word 2011 I’ve opened my life up to the Holy Spirit to come in and rearrange this life I’ve so magnificently laid out.  Convictions happen more frequently.  I’m stopping to think before thinking, speaking, etc.  I find myself more grieved over sin that is both subtlety and blatantly not acts of grace [in addition to other sin].

This wasn’t something I expected.  I believe my expectations were that I would magically just start having grace towards people.  I never took into account that it meant purging anything out.

Have you noticed God purging out sin in your life via your One Word?

Heart Conditions

February 16, 2011 in Guest Blogging, Life, Nikita with 10 Comments

My daily reading plan includes three chapters in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament.  I’m currently reading through Genesis, 2 Chronicles, Psalm, & Acts.

Last night I was reading 2 Chronicles 18.  It is the story of King Ahab, the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah.  In short King Ahab asks King Jehoshaphat to go to war with him.  Both kings bring in their prophets to ask if they should go into battle and if they will be successful.  All the prophets say that they should go and that they will be successful.  Only King Jehoshaphat’s prophet tells King Ahab that he will die in battle.  Needless to say, Ahab dies.  At the beginning of chapter 19, a different prophet comes to King Jehoshaphat and rebukes him.

The rebuke was that he helped the wicked and love those who hate the Lord.  A similar rebuke happened in chapter 16 of Jehoshaphat’s father, King Asa.

King Asa ended up getting a serious foot disease.  The chapter ends with Asa’s death.

I was thinking about the difference in the rebukes.  They are similar, but different.  They were delivered by the same man.  Asa receives a serious health condition.  Jehoshaphat receives an encouragement.

The only major difference I can see is the difference of heart.  Asa refused to repent.  Samuel doesn’t say whether Jehoshaphat repented or not, but as far as I can tell with what I’ve read he must have.

Lack of repentance has serious consequences.  God is always ready to forgive.  Why do we refuse to repent especially when we know the consequences may be worse than if we did repent?

Our Dance

February 14, 2011 in Family, Love Letters with 7 Comments

This year Shawn and I will celebrate being a couple 14 years and our tenth anniversary.  We’ve fought for our marriage, for our couplehood.  In truth the years haven’t necessarily come easily.

As with any relationship you work to make it work.  Each person sacrifices their will for the others.  When done right it’s a beautiful dance.

I’m not always the perfect dance partner and neither is he.  We do our best.

Without a doubt I’d rather have no one else as we move across the dance floor.  He is the only one I ever want to come home to.  The one I want to envelope me, and hold me after a long day.  He’s the one I want to celebrate with.  The one I’d always rather be with.

I love the way he makes me laugh, and his smile [what first cause my heart to skip and my breath to sigh] still sends me into a whirlpool.  After 14 years he can still make me melt into a puddle.

Happy Valentine’s my Love.

The Way We Write

February 9, 2011 in Community with 9 Comments

I love the story telling of Amber and Elora.  They spin words in to beautiful webs.  Every one of their posts are filled with multiple layers.  Filled with fancy descriptions of ordinary things.  I love reading their words because they wrap around and through me.

I wish I wrote more like they do.

When I was in college I planned to major in journalism.  I have always had a love to write.  Back then I wanted to be an editorial columnist.  I wanted to state the facts and share my heart in an honest way.  My mind doesn’t naturally come up creative words to describe the ordinary.  I have to work for it, and even then I am occasionally left wondering if the imagery works for the reader or just myself.

My writing here is more like what I wanted to do when I was in college:  the facts, my heart, in an honest way.

Earlier this year Jenny decided to take her blog in a different direction.  Focusing on photography.  Sharing her life through the lens of her Nikon.  The words she captures are beautiful.  Capturing a brief moment in life.  They are different than the words I type to create a new post.  The imagery is different than the ones given us by Amber and Elora.  Each of us is utilizing gifts and talents that God wrote into our DNA.

God has given us each gifts and talents that are different from those we are close to.  He made us unique.  For this I’m glad.  How boring would it be to read the same style of writing from everyone.

When The Weight of The World

February 8, 2011 in Faith with 11 Comments

Yesterday was a heavy heart day.

I learned that someone I greatly admire is getting a divorce and my heart absolutely breaks for her and her (ex)husband.

I learned that someone whose name I’ve only seen in passing on Twitter and been to their site now twice, that while they are currently in Uganda bringing home their new baby girl, they were robbed.  Including her passport and half of their adoption funds.  My heart breaks because I see attempts of the enemy to bring discouragement, doubt, and eyes unfocused off Christ.

My soul aches as across Twitter feeds I see broken hearts, broken families, lives ripped apart by the death of a family member, hearts that long to see the sun shine on them.

Some days living in a fallen world is harder than other days.

These are the days that I need to cling to His promises.  To bury myself in them.

He is our strength
He heals and does not turn away from the downcast
He is for us
The enemy will not prevail against us
He is our fortress & our deliverer

What other promises do you cover yourself in when the turmoil of the world wears heavy upon your shoulders?

Help Bring Baby Ramirez Home!

February 7, 2011 in Faith, Family with 4 Comments

Over the last year God has given me a heart and passion for the orphan.  He’s shown me in countless ways how I too was an orphan and how He adopted me into His family and am heir to all the riches He has.

In the last year He’s brought a number of people into my life that are in the process of adopting.  I can’t explain the joy I have when I learn some one is adopting, is going to, or has.  My heart swells to reaches far outside my chest.

One of my dearest friends, Elora and her husband Russ are adopting from Ethiopia.  I am beyond thrilled for them.  (I can’t wait to meet her and their child one day.  oh and Russ too!)

Adoption fees are expensive.  They can range anywhere from $9,000 to $20,000+ for international adoption, but within those numbers there is hope, joy, rescue, and love.

James 1:27 says that true religion is caring for the orphans and the widows.  You may not feel called to adopt, but you are called to care for the orphans.

This week [Feb. 06 - 12, 2011]  you can not only care for the orphans but help Elora & Russ bring their child home.  They are hosting a trunk show through Noonday Collection.  A site whose sole purpose is to bring income to impoverished countries by selling jewelry, scarves, and gift items made by artisans in those countries and help fund adoptions.

This week when you purchase any item(s) from Noonday 10% will go to Russ & Elora’s adoption fund.  All you have to do is enter Elora Ramirez in the “instructions to merchant” section of the online shopping cart.

There are a number of great items for sale.  And don’t forget Mother’s Day is just around the corner or even buy your wife a Valentine’s gift.  I’m sure in this case she won’t be upset if it’s late. ;-)

ps.:  If you love coffee, you can also purchase coffee through Just Love Coffee and help fund Baby Ramirez adoption.  I just ordered my first bag last week.


My Dreams of Community

February 2, 2011 in Community, Family, Life with 12 Comments

Early yesterday morning I had the most beautiful dream.  I awoke from it with a heart filled with joy and aching.  I laid there in the quiet dark of early morning and cried out to God to move.  It haunted me throughout the day and my cries echoed.

I’ve shared before our lack of local community, and lately the ache has grown more fierce.  My heart aches, booming low like a kick drum within my chest.

I love the online community that I have.  And I wouldn’t give them up for anything.  A couple of them have become my closest friends and confidants over the last year.  But I long for hands to hold as I walk this road called life.  For shoulders able to catch tears of joy, frustration, and sorrow.

You see…my dream…was that Shawn and I were part of a community of like minded people that we did life with.  It was truly a beautiful scene.  The laughter still rings in my mind’s ears.

And my heart aches that we don’t have that.  My spirit is starving for it.  I can’t help but think that God gave me this dream because it’s His dream for us as well.  We were created to be in community, and I can only imagine that if my heart aches as much as it does His hurts even more.

I know that He will answer.  I know that He will provide.  Like I said, He created us for community.  In a sense I would say this dream could even be prophetic, even if the faces and the place are different, because I know He wants this for us.

Do You Struggle?

February 1, 2011 in Faith, Grace with 22 Comments

Time for some honesty….do you struggle to read the Bible?

I do!

I’m a reader by nature.  I can (and have) spend hours reading on the couch.  But when it comes to reading onion skin thin pages that offer the benefit of life and growth I can’t seem to sit for more than just a few minutes and never on a consistent basis.

The Bible is full of mystery, murder, suspense, triumph, love…everything I love in a great book, but my devotion to it is lacking.  What is it that keeps me from stepping into these pages the way I do any other book.

Today I want to step into the story.  Have words given by the God who created me flood into my heart.  I want to prepare heart as He leads me into this next season.

And because I know God’s timing is perfect, and I believe He has a sense of humor this arrived in the mail today from a dear friend.  It is a Bible reading plan journal.

Where are you currently reading/studying in the Bible? Did you know that there is a group of women who are reading through the Bible chronologically in six months, and furthermore that some of them just finished reading it through Genesis to Revelation in 90 days?

If you recall part of my digging deeper into my One Word this year is scripture memorization.  In January I dedicated myself to memorizing Colossians 3:12 & 13.  It went surprisingly easier than I’d thought it would.  A couple weeks ago I had two nightmares in less than a few days.  My joy was to lie in bed reciting this verse over and over.  To allow the goodness of God envelope my mind rather than the images that shook me awake.

For February I’m memorizing Proverbs 22:11 (NIV)

One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.

Seeking To Lose

January 31, 2011 in Faith, Grace, Life with 12 Comments

Last year I practiced Lent for the first time.  God worked in ways I’d never experienced previously, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

For the last week or so I’ve been seeking God on what I should seek to lose.  I’ve considered Twitter for a second year, but really want to make a decision based on His desire for me.

One verse I forever remember from my two years in Christian private school is Romans 12:1.  Paul instructs us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices.  Giving up ourselves for Christ.  Losing that which keeps us bound to other altars.

I want to lose those things.  I want to get up off the altar that wants to burn me up in its passions and offer myself to God and God alone.

So I’m seeking Him on what He wants me to lose.

Have you practiced Lent previous whether as part of a community of believers or on your own?  Are you planning/considering practicing it this year?

Daring To Ask

January 27, 2011 in Life with 10 Comments

Some questions just seem like they’d have an obvious answer.  I think it’s those questions in particular that can have deeper, hidden answers.

One of the phrases that we were consistently instructed in during Dream Year was to ask big questions.  Dare to ask the big questions that take you steps into your dream.

As I said on Monday I’m still wrestling out with God my dream.  Tonight I had to ask a question.  I’d been putting it off because I assume the answer is obvious, but it may not be.

Hopefully, I’ll have more answers.

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